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You needn’t look very far to find a good power
trio, as the members of The White Elephant hail
from little Wapello and are happy to fill your
needs. This is good, dirty swamp rock at its
best. Ron Coleman, Tim Coleman and Chris Rohr
have a sound that’s visceral and authoritative.
The 10-track album is at its best when the guys
crank the amps up and let those three chords
rip. (See favorite track “Travel by Boat” or
the Black Keys-infused “Devil Dreaming” for
excellent examples.) But even when the guys
slow things down, the effect is powerful. (See:
“Last Night Stand” and “Every Word,” bearing
a striking resemblance in both sound and feeling
to the Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down.”) If you
dig old fashioned, three-piece rock, this outfit
is your hometown answer. CV

(The White Elephant plays a free show at Wooly’s
Friday, May 4. Doors open at 8 p.m.)

Deviator

‘Halitosis’

Independent

I tried. I listened to “Halitosis” twice in
a row just to give Deviator the benefit of the
doubt, and to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
But it’s just not good. It’s entirely possible
that the Kansas City trio is better live. I
sincerely hope that’s the case, because there’s
just nothing redeeming about the recorded version.
Travis Kirschner’s singing voice is more of
a monotone drone, the lyrics feel trite and
uninspired and the guitar work of Troy Coots
is uneven and parochial. Kirschner seems more
competent on his bass, so you could start fixing
the band’s ills just by putting someone else
in front of the mic. But there’s doubt as to
whether that would be a step in the right direction
or just a finger in an extremely leaky dike.
CV

(Deviator plays the Vaudeville Mews on Friday,
May 4. Doors at 9:30 p.m. and tickets are $5.
Superchief and Izzy Starchild open.